Keyboard for violins.



No. 697,799. Patented Apr. l5, I902.

- 6.. P. BUBHANAIQ.

KEYBOARD FOB VIOLINS.

(Application filed my 31, 1901.)

(lo Modal.)

UNITED STATES PATENT GEETGE.

GEORGE I. BUCHANAN, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA.

KEYBOARD FOR VIOLINS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 697,799, dated April15, 1902.

' Application filed May 31,1901. Serial No. 62,507. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE P. BUCHANAN, a citizen of the United Statesof America, residing at Allegheny, in the county of Allegheny and Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inKeyboardsfor Violins, of which the following is a specification,reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements instringed instruments, and relates more particularly to violins, violas,violoncellos and bass and double-bass instruments.

My invention contemplates to construct a keyboard upon which it willbe acomparatively easy matter to play difficult positions upon theviolin,-not only the first, third, and fifth positions, but it will be acomparatively easy matter to play the second, fourth, sixth, and seventhpositions. I

The invention, briefly stated, consists of a removable keyboard ofespecial construction attached tothe finger-board of a violin andarranged above the strings thereof, the keys carried by the keyboardbeing pressed to produce the clear note or tone from the instrument.

WVith the above and other objects in view the inventionconsists in thenovel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter morefullydescribed, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

In describing the invention in detail refer-' ence is had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and whereinlike numerals of reference indicate correspondin g parts throughout theseveral views, in which- Figure 1 is a top plan view of the forwardportion of a violin, showing the neck and head with my improvementattached thereto. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is aninverted plan view of the keyboard removed from the violin. Fig. t is aperspective view of the yoke which serves to secure the forward portionof the keyboard in position. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of thekeys. Fig. 6 is a similar view of a pair of springs connected to thekeys. Fig. 7 is a top plan view of a modified form of attaching thekeys. Fig. 8 is a perspective View thereof.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention I have shown the sameapplied to a violin, and in thedrawings the reference-numeral 1indicates the body portion of the violin; 2, the neck thereof; 3, thehead of the violin; 4, the keys of the strings, and 5 thestrings.

Thereference-numeral 6 indicates the usual finger-board of the violin,over which the strings pass over the bridge of the violin. (Not shown inthe drawings.)

The reference numeral 7 represents the keyboard, constructed of anysuitable material, but preferably of metal. This keyboard is attached tothe head 3 of the violin by means of the yoke 8, said yoke having inwardextensions 9, carrying downwardly-extending pins 10. This yoke is alsoprovided with a thumb-screw 11, extending through the yoke and engagingthe under face of the head portion, thereby serving to firmly clamp thekeyboard to the neck of the violin. This keyboard being bowed, however,is so arranged in relation to the strings that it does not touch thestrings normally and has suitably formed therein a series oflongitudinal openings 12. These openings are arranged in a series tocorrespond with the strings and are secured in a manner to be directlyabove the strings of the instrument. In these openings 12 are suitablysecured a series of flatfaced keys 14, these keys being preferablysemicylindrical in form, as shown in detail views represented in Figs. 5and 8 of the drawings and also as illustrated in Fig. 2. The keys 14:,as shown in the drawings, have two fiat parallel side faces, which areguided by the Walls of the elongated slots. The lower face of the key isflat and the upper one semicylindrical in form, as shown. These keys aresuspended by means of springs 15 or 16, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 of thedrawings, said springs having their ends bent, as shown at 17, in orderto secure the same in apertures 18, arranged on the under face of thekeyboard, and extend through the upper face of the keyboard,where thesame may be suitably secured by means of nuts 19 or other suitablefastening means. The keys 14 are each provided with an adjusting-screw20, operating upon the springs 15 or 16 and allowing an adjustment uponthe springs 15 or 16 to any desired position. This adjustment may alsobe obtained by providing a series of apertures 21 and allowing the endsof the springs to extend therethrough and fasten the same, as shown at19, by means of small nuts.

The reference-numeral 22 represents lugs formed integral with thekeyboard and extending downwardly and engaging the side of the neckportion to assure against any lateral movement of the finger-board.Should undue pressure be exerted upon keyboard '7 when the violin orother instrument is in use, the lugs 22 will arrest this downwardmovement by engagement with the upper face of the body portion of theinstrument.

The keys are preferably marked black and white, the black keysindicating the sharps and flats and the white keys the natural notes.For example, upon the G-string the first note, G sharp, is indicated bya black key, and the next note, A, would be a White key, and so on upthe entire strings of the instrument. The form of the keys may besemicylindrical or may be curved on an incline when desired.

The operation of my improved keyboard is as follows: lVhen it is desiredto produce the note, the key corresponding with said note is firmlypressed downwardly, engaging the upper face of the string, pressing thestring firmly against the finger-board and retaining the string in thisposition until the desired note has been produced. \Vhen the key isreleased, the springs Will return the key to its normal position,raising the same from engagement with the string, that will permit aclear note to be produced when the next key is operated, and so on. Ithas been a difficult matter to produce clear chords uponstringedinstruments of thiskind; but with my improved device it is avery easy matter to obtain all chords. Even octaves are easily obtainedwhen playing in a difficult position. It is also an easy matter to playa chromatic scale with my improved device, as the finger may be readilyslid over the keys in order to produce this scale.

The many advantages obtained by the use of my improved device will bereadily apparent from the foregoing description, taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings.

It will be noted that various changes may be made in the details ofconstruction without departing from the general spirit of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device of the character described, a keyboard having a series oflongitudinal openings formed therein, keys operating in said openings,springs carried by said keys, means carried by the springs for securingsaid keys to the under face of said keyboard, and a yoke for securingsaid keyboard to the violin, substantially as described.

2. In a device of the character described, a keyboard having openingsformed therein, keys operating in said openings, a pair of springssecured to each of said keys, lugs carried by the said springs, andmeans for securing said lugs to the keyboard, substantially asdescribed.

3. In a device of the character described, a keyboard havinglongitudinal openings formed therein, keys operating in said openings,springs secured one to each side of each of said keys, lugs carried bysaid springs and adapted to engage the keyboard, and means securing thekeyboard to the violin, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

GEORGE I. BUCHANAN.

WVitnesses:

JOHN NOLAND, E. E. Po'r'rnn.

